Neighbors
by HedwigBlack
Summary: Ginny is trying to start over after breaking up with Harry and moves into a new place. Everything's great until she finds out her who neighbor is...


**This is for the Favorite Era Bootcamp challenge. I will probably continue this at some point but not religiously.**

**Prompt: cocktail**

* * *

Ginny waved her wand and the last cardboard box unpacked itself, the contents flying onto the shelf in the corner of her new flat. She sighed and plopped herself down on the couch, and put her head in her hands. She had finally gotten her own place after a month of searching and sleeping in the spare room at Ron and Hermione's. Hermione had even offered to let her stay longer but Ginny had refused. It was nice to stay with a friend but it was best to leave the two of them alone. Besides Ron was Harry's best friend and she didn't have the energy to try and tiptoe around her ex-boyfriend. Things were awkward enough.

This place wasn't so bad though, Ginny thought. She would just have to get used to living alone without siblings or her mother to invade her privacy. Yes. This place definitely wasn't so bad.

There was a knock on the door and Ginny bit back a groan at the thought that perhaps she had traded her family for a bunch of nosy neighbors and that she wasn't going to have as much time alone as she hoped.

She opened the door and her jaw dropped in shock. Nosy neighbors would be the least of her worries. Standing before her was none other than Draco Malfoy with a large cardboard box in his hands.

"Sorry, but this was left in the ha-bloody hell…" Draco paused mid-sentence as the realization that he had just knocked on Ginny Weasley's door sunk in. The red-head couldn't help but laugh at the look of horror on his face.

"Please tell me you don't live in this building too," she moaned snatching the box out of his hands.

"I do, actually," Draco responded and crossed over the threshold, not bothering to wait for an invitation. "Downstairs."

"Well, that's just…" Ginny struggled for the appropriate word. "… just… bloody fantastic."

She set the box down on the coffee table and pretended to inspect its contents so she wouldn't have to look at him. "Did you want something, Malfoy?"

"Just wondering what the little Weaslette is doing buying her own place." Draco shoved his hands in his pockets and casually looked around the room.

Ginny snorted. "No, you weren't," she accused.

Draco smirked and sauntered over to the book shelf to inspect her collection. "You're right. I read all about it in _The Prophet_."

"That's it. Get out."

"Cormac McLaggen though? Really?"

"WHAT?" Ginny shrieked. That was a false account of her breakup that she hadn't heard yet, which was really quite something because she thought she'd heard them all.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm joking. I know better than to believe that rubbish."

"Why are you still here?" Ginny turned to face him and put her hands on her hips.

He put his hands up in a gesture of submission. "I just brought you a box. A 'thank you' would be nice, you know."

"I'll thank you for leaving," Ginny sneered and poked him in the back and steered him out the door before shutting it in his face. She leaned her back against it and sighed in frustration. Of course Draco Malfoy lived downstairs. This was not how she was planning on starting her new life alone.

* * *

"Come on, Ginny!" Demelza dragged her friend back to the bar. She was already stumbling, but was extremely determined. "You need another drink. My job as your friend for tonight is to get you utterly drunk so we can make poor life choices together. And I take my job very seriously."

"Mel, really, that's okay…" Ginny said half-heartedly but soon found herself with another cocktail in her hand.

It had been a week since she'd moved into the flat in Draco Malfoy's building and had successfully avoided running into him again, but it also seemed as though she hadn't gone anywhere but work. Demelza had tracked her down in her office at the Ministry and normally Ginny wouldn't even consider going out drinking with her, but a night out seemed to be in order and Demelza had made a convincing argument so she'd agreed. After all, that's what friends like Demelza were for: to get her drunk and forget about boys and disappointment. Right?

"To poor life choices, then," Ginny said, raising her glass.

"That's the spirit!" Demelza responded.

Over the girl's shoulder Ginny spotted shiny platinum hair in the corner. "Shit!"

"What?" Demelza's eyes grew wide and turned around to see what Ginny was staring at. It took her a moment to focus but she soon found the cause of her friend's discomfort. She turned back around and the beginnings of a plan were clearly etched on her face.

Ginny shook her head. "No way!"

Demelza put her hands on the back of the red-head's shoulders and pushed her closer to the wall. "Finish your drink and go over there."

"No. He's repulsive."

"Ha! No, he's not. Look at him for Merlin's sake! I'll be over here for emotional support. Tonight it's all about you, darling." With that Demelza shoved Ginny away from her and right into Malfoy's arms. Just. Perfect.

"Well, look who it is," Draco smirked and looked her up and down, letting his gaze rest a little too long on her cleavage.

Ginny quickly pulled away and she could feel her face redden in embarrassment.

"Don't be shy, Weasley."

Ginny looked about her trying to think of a way to gracefully make her escape. Demelza had abandoned her post. _Emotional support my arse._

"I have to say," Draco continued. "The view is much improved. The last person who lived upstairs was an old hag compared to you."

"Shut up, Malfoy. What happened to me being a blood traitor?"

"So? You're a very attractive blood traitor." As soon as the words left his mouth, Draco winced, clearly realizing that he'd crossed a line. Ginny didn't stop to consider that he obviously regretted his remark. She acted on impulse and threw what was left of her drink in his face before stalking off to the bar.

Several shots later, her last coherent thought was that she was never going to let Demelza take her drinking again.

* * *

The next morning, the sun poured through the living room window and into Ginny's eyes. She woke up and found herself on the couch with a blanket over her. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton and her head was pounding. She groaned and rolled over to shield her face from the light and tried to piece together the events of the night before.

Too many drinks…Demelza's a bitch…poor life choices…and then…

Draco Malfoy's face swam before her eyes.

Fuck.

She got up to make herself look presentable. She threw on some clean clothes and went into the bathroom to check her appearance. Her face looked a sight and she had to grip the countertop to keep from swaying. She washed last night's makeup off her face, walked out the door before she chickened out, and went downstairs to stand before Malfoy's door. After a deep breath she reached up and knocked loudly half-hoping that he wasn't home and she could just go back upstairs and sleep.

He was home however, and promptly opened the door. He smirked when he saw who it was and normally that would bother her, but she was here for answers. She got right to the point.

"What happened last night?"

Malfoy frowned. "You really don't remember?"

"I remember it involved you. But no specifics. What did you do to me?"

Malfoy's calm demeanor disappeared. "_Do_ to you? What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I think I've made it perfectly clear from the moment I met you that I think you are scum," Ginny said, glaring at him.

Malfoy closed the distance between them so that his face was inches from hers. His gray eyes flashed with anger and Ginny returned his gaze hoping that she looked more confident than she felt.

"Let's get a few things straight, Weasley. I called you a blood traitor last night and for that I deserved a drink in my face. But let me remind you that you said it first. Then a couple of hours later I saw that your pretty friend had ditched you for some bloke who was chatting her up at the bar. I'd be more worried about what _he_ did to _her_ if I were you." He paused to let this information sink in before continuing. "So I walked you home and tucked you in. But I know better than to expect a 'thank you' from you, so now that you are caught up on recent events, I suggest you go back to bed."

For the first time, Ginny learned what it felt like to have a door slammed in her face and she discovered that it was the shittiest feeling in the world. She choked back angry tears as she dragged herself up the stairs, wondering if it would have hurt her Gryffindor pride as much if it had been anyone else but Draco Malfoy.


End file.
